


Sugar Rush

by emmykay



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-29
Updated: 2014-06-29
Packaged: 2018-02-06 18:05:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1867353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emmykay/pseuds/emmykay
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Iruka is an average trombone player in an average high school band, with a massive crush on above-average Kakashi.  Like he's got a chance.</p><p><b>Contains (Highlight to view):</b> <span class="spoiler">coming out of the closet, small and near-incidences of bullying</span></p><p><b>Prompt/Scenario:</b> # 21 by madam_moxie: "Hey Na Na" by Katie Herzig</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sugar Rush

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much to my betas, A and M, who deserve all the awesome in the world. The lyrics in this story are from "Hey Na Na" written by Katie Herzig. This prompt and the song made me think of the cutest, fluffiest, most diabetic-inducing of all high school stories.

A menacing whine carried down the dark hall to the brightly lit front door of the bandroom. "Heeeyyy." 

Iruka turned his head, listening intently. He had arrived early to practice like he did most days, overstuffed backpack on, trombone case in hand, expecting a largely empty building. Hearing anybody else on this wing of the school was a surprise.

"Go away." The response was soft, nervous, tremulous. Iruka's fists balled in unconscious reaction. 

"C'mon," said the mean whine.

Iruka blinked. It wasn't the words so much as the tone. Something threatening. Something mean. Something wrong. He looked at the open door of the bandroom. He didn't go in, even though he wanted to, knew it would be easier. Instead, he stood still, listening. 

"I said, 'go away," the softer voice said.

Iruka looked down at himself, swallowing, heart racing. He was just an average second-year in his four-year high school. He had messy brown hair and big, round, brown-rimmed glasses hiding big brown eyes. He was too skinny and had braces years past the time his peers had gotten theirs removed. Maybe he was a little below-average. He could cop to that. Add to that worn jeans and an old-fashioned collared shirt, instrument case and overstuffed backpack and really, he might as well have carried a sandwich board sign that read 'NERD.' 

He edged toward the voices. An enormous body, a boy, was hovering over young girl, maybe a first-year. She was leaning against the wall, jaw jutting out, tears beginning to well up in her eyes. 

"No!" The young girl said. "I won't - "

The boy growled threateningly, lifting an arm.

"Please," she begged.

Iruka watched, muscles tense, as the boy's arm reached its highest point. Then it began to drop. 

With a high-pitched yowling cry, Iruka dashed between them, swinging the heavy trombone case like a particularly clunky sword. The boy froze, disbelieving. Iruka increased his volume. The bully began to back away, slowly at first and then quicker. To Iruka's surprise, he actually caused the bully to run away, like a berserk Pomeranian chasing after an alarmed St. Bernard. 

After the bully had fled the building and ran into the adjacent parking lot, Iruka turned around. The girl fled, choking something incoherent amidst her tears. 

Iruka heaved a sigh and went into the bandroom. He crossed the pit, climbed up the stadium-style tiers until he reached his chair and then dropped onto the seat, as though the string holding him up was cut. He shook, staring blankly out into the great clam shape of the room, the white and black mottled sound-absorbing tiles rising on the walls all around him. He hadn't meant to go after that bully, but somehow, the sight of that girl, and the jerk almost on top of her, was something that he couldn't bear. It hadn't felt right, walking away. He could not just let it be. Even though he had been so nervously scared he'd wanted to throw up, at that moment he'd stopped thinking and just acted. He hadn't even thought about the trombone. It wasn't his - it belonged to the school. What would his aunt have said if he had damaged the trombone and they had to pay for it?

There were voices in the hall; the school was starting to fill up. Soon, the school day would start. He sighed and looked up. Kakashi Hatake was calmly coming out of one of the private practice rooms. Kakashi looked directly at Iruka, with his left red eye and his right black eye, slowly blinking. 

"Hey," Kakashi said.

Iruka looked around the room, wondering who Kakashi could possibly be addressing. There was nobody else in the room. O. M. G. Was Kakashi talking to him?

"Oh, uh, hi?" Iruka said, after the silence had stretched too far. He felt the helpless heat of his cheeks flushing and quickly ducked his head. He busied himself with putting his instrument together. Oh, god, why now, why Kakashi. Oh, god, oh god oh god ohgod ohgodohgodohgod. He wanted to throw up.

Kakashi was a third-year. That year between them, somehow, it made all the difference. He was taller, smarter, faster, better, and more experienced. He was everything Iruka had wanted to be and would never attain. Kakashi was an immensely talented musician and first trumpet in band. Coincidentally, he was also rich. He'd had participated in several camps and training that Iruka could never hope to. (In his position as second trombone, Iruka was easily overlooked, even though Mr. Sarutobi had declared that his position was terribly important to the overall sound of the band. Iruka took it for the small bit of consolation that it was and continued to play. It helped that if he looked a little up and to the right, he could see Kakashi's music stand while they practiced in the bandroom.)

Kakashi took a step toward him.

Holy crap. Was Kakashi going to actually talk to him?! Iruka wanted to scream _and_ throw up. At the same time. Why would Kakashi want to even get near him, a particularly gross example of a second-year?

Kakashi had daring, verve, a pair of lungs and lips to die for. And that was just his musical abilities. Iruka knew that Kakashi had the potential to leave their town and make it as a professional musician, in a way that he himself couldn't. Iruka didn't have the heart to be envious. Well, not very envious, anyway. Kakashi was so talented, it was impossible to not acknowledge. Iruka chose to enjoy it and not be consumed by it. Kakashi, to Iruka's uncritical eyes, was one of the most beautiful people he had ever the fortune to see in person. It was too much to even fathom that Kakashi would see Iruka as anything beyond one of the peons sitting a few rows down that supported his playing.

"Irruuukaaa!" screeched Anko as she launched herself from the door, flying by Kakashi and mashing up against Iruka. She grabbed him and rubbed her hands all over his head, messing his hair and smudging his glasses. One might be excused in thinking Anko had a vendetta against Iruka, instead of being his best friend. "Happy SIXTEEN, BUDDY!"

Iruka fought her off. For being so skinny, Anko had a surprisingly good grip. He pulled his glasses off his face and wiped them down on his undershirt. 

Anko slugged him on his shoulder. "How's it feel? Turning sixteen? Driving!"

Iruka couldn't help but notice Kakashi was gone, stealing out in those frantic seconds that Anko had her hands all over his face. 

"It's not until next week."

"So what?" At Iruka's odd stillness, she sat down in the chair next to him. "What's the matter?"

Iruka gave a little shake of his head. "Nothing. Just, just, Kakashi."

"Iruka - everybody knows you got it bad for Hot-lips Hatake. I thought you were wondering if you needed to give up a vital organ or something."

"Anko," Iruka sighed. "That's not just it." And then he found himself explaining the events of the morning.

"Wow," Anko leaned back, frowning. "How are you really doing?"

"I'm - I'm. You know."

Anko's eyebrows dropped into a look of deep concern. "No."

"I've been better, and I don't want to talk about it anymore." Iruka sighed. "And then there was Kakashi, right after that. I just - I just couldn't take it." He tipped his head back until it met the top of his chair. "He was going to talk to me. He's just so so great. And then you -"

Anko gave a little apologetic shrug. "Okay. Sorry. Really sorry. He's cute, but I really don't get the appeal."

Iruka gave a small smile. "Yeah, yeah. I know you don't go that way." Anko had tried to test him when they were thirteen and made him kiss her. Both of them were dissatisfied with the results, for similar reasons.

"So, we on for Saturday?" Anko patted his shoulder.

"Yup."

"And hey - it's going to be your birthday, buddy. Try to look happy. You've already gotten the best gift."

"What?"

"You've got me as a friend." She grinned brightly.

* * *

The next day, Iruka walked into the school early, heading for the band room. He paused and then stopped when he heard some voices. Was Kakashi's among them? Was Anko's? Iruka stood there for a while, and then walked to the other side of the building and went in through that door. 

What were they doing here so early in the morning? 

Kakashi was standing by the opposite door. He looked at Iruka and then past him. Whatever was in Iruka's head was completely swept away. It was bad enough that Iruka liked other boys, not girls. Then, there was Kakashi. He made Iruka feel completely inept, fumbling for things, words, thoughts. 

Iruka worked hard to make himself funny, so he could direct attention away from the things he was embarrassed about and toward the things he could control. He made a point of wearing rubber bands on his braces in the school colors so they matched his marching band uniform. This way, maybe people wouldn't notice his borrowed and beaten instrument, knobby knees, second-hand clothing, enormous feet in discount store shoes, living with an elderly aunt, or dead parents. 

It shouldn't be a problem, everybody felt incomplete in high school, in some way, or so his aunt had counseled him. Everybody except for Kakashi Hatake. 

Iruka sat down at his seat and tried to shuffle his music sheets as quietly as he dared.

Kakashi came up the steps and seemed startled to find Iruka already in his seat. "Hey," he said.

"Hi," Iruka said, after executing a rapid glance-around just to make sure there wasn't anybody else Kakashi might have been addressing.

"You're practicing?" Kakashi asked. The corner of his mouth turned up into an almost smile.

Iruka almost forgot to blink. Holy. Kakashi looked great in those tight jeans and black t-shirt. And Kakashi was talking to him, him!, Iruka Umino of the crummy brown shoes and home-haircut. "Um." _Great conversation, you stupid stupid!_ his brain began to scream.

"What're you doing on Saturday?"

It actually hurt to think about something else besides how droolingly yummy Kakashi looked. "Uh - I've got something."

"Oh." Kakashi looked downward and to the side. "Anko?"

"What? No - no - well, yes, yes. But not like that. We're in a band."

"A band?" Kakashi's eyes, mysteriously unmatched, met his. 

"Yeah. A four-piece. We do rock and pop covers, mostly. Some originals - but," Iruka said with disarming honesty, "we're not really good yet. Anko does drums and vocals and I play keyboards, Izumo and Kotetsu - you know them from jazz band, right? - they play lead guitar and bass."

"I didn't know you played piano," Kakashi said.

"My first instrument - my aunt used to be a music teacher."

"Do you like being in a band?" Kakashi asked, looking as if he really cared about the answer.

"Yeah, it's great!" Iruka lit up. "Maybe someday we'll be good enough to actually play for other people!"

Kakashi halted, like he wasn't certain how to act, and then began to laugh. 

Iruka stopped talking, realizing what he just said. God, he didn't want Kakashi, of all people, to think he was some kind of clown! "I mean, you know - we're still practicing and stuff. We do it at my house - my aunt's the only one who doesn't mind the noise."

Kakashi bit his lip, maybe to not burst into laughter. He must think Iruka was a total joke.

"I bet you don't have that problem," Iruka sighed. 

"I sometimes practice with the city symphony."

"Oh." Iruka wilted. The city symphony?! Holy shitballs! Kakashi must be amazing! The pause was excruciating. He waited for Kakashi to turn around and walk away from the bundle of nervous crazy wrapped in human skin that was named Iruka Umino.

"So," Kakashi said, drawing it out, his cheeks pinkening just a little bit.

"So," Iruka said, nodding, already mentally watching Kakashi walk away.

"Can I come see you practice?" Kakashi asked.

"You want to come see us practice?" Iruka blurted at the same time. Then he blinked. Did they just talk over each other? "What?"

Kakashi's eyes widened. "Did you just say - "

"Yes," Iruka said, finally, breathing unusually hard. "Yes. Come by the practice. After three."

* * *

Iruka was still on cloud nine when the bell rang for lunch. He was on his way to the line through the cafeteria when someone bumped into him. He looked around, a scowl starting to form on his face when he saw it was someone familiar-looking. 

"Um, hi," the short girl said.

"Hi," he said. And then it struck him as he watched her nervously twiddling her hands. It was that girl from the other morning. The one who was being picked on. "How're you?"

She flushed a bright red. "Look, I'm really glad you stopped that guy," she said, softly, looking downward.

"No problem - "

"But," she said, in a rush, "I heard from someone that he's looking to find you again."

Their high school was pretty big, but finding someone wasn't hard. Iruka was taken aback. "What?"

"Yeah," she said, her voice soft. "He maybe wants to talk to you."

Iruka frowned. "Why?"

"I don't know," she said. "But I thought I should tell you. He doesn't forget stuff like that." She turned a deeper red and fled.

Iruka got his lunch mechanically and sat down. Well, shit.

* * *

The next day, Friday, Iruka went to school early. He was still a bit unsettled by what happened in the lunch room. He just wanted to be left alone and not think about it. But then, things couldn't happen in a way that made Iruka happy. Things rarely did. It was the price of being a gay teenager with braces who played trombone. Anko had wormed the incident out of him and had insisted on accompanying him everywhere. It was thoughtful, but sort of annoying.

Something caught Iruka's eye on the way to into the school. Was that Kakashi's car in the parking lot? He couldn't remember exactly which big black expensive sedan was Kakashi's. Anko caught him before he entered the building and dragged him off on the think excuse of checking out Kotetsu's new skateboard.

* * *

"Hey," Kakashi said, as he walked by on the way to his seat before band practice.

"H-hey," Iruka stuttered, aware that half of the entire marching band looking at him looking at Kakashi. He lowered his eyes, but couldn't help smiling a little.

Kakashi leaned in, so quietly that only Iruka could hear. "You've got a really cute dimple when you do that."

Iruka was unaware of what happened during the rest of practice. Even Sarutobi's mildly concerned expression in his direction when Iruka missed his cue wasn't enough to bring him back down to earth. 

After school, when Anko asked what was his problem, Iruka could only stutter and blush.

* * *

"Huh," said Izumo.

"What?" asked Anko.

They were all sitting on the worn steps of Iruka's aunt's front porch, in front of the small house Iruka had spent the last six years of his life. Aunt Mai had brought out lemonade, allowing them to take a break from practicing. Whether or not it was because she needed the break from hearing them was something she never said; she just seemed glad that Iruka had friends. 

"Check that out," Kotetsu said, blowing his hair off his face and pointing.

A sleek, dark sedan drove up the street. It slowly cruised by the broken sidewalks, the small homes that were built in an era long-bygone and the the tall graceful trees. Aunt Mai loved the trees, always saying they were the saving grace of the neighborhood, when they weren't overgrowing their spots and into the sidewalk and looming dangerously over the tiny yards. 

"Nice car," said Izumo. 

"Yeah," said Anko. "Sure doesn't look like it's from this part of town."

Iruka felt his heart skip. Then he frowned. He shouldn't get excited. He'd been jumping at the sight of dark, modern cars all afternoon. 

Anko had noticed. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Iruka said. "Just getting ready to get back to practicing."

"You should sing," Anko said, bringing up an old argument between them. "You've got a good voice and - "

"But you like singing, and you're better at it," Iruka said. 

"It's your song," Anko said, making it clear she thought Iruka's protests were nonsense.

"I can't be singing about liking other guys."

Izumo and Kotetsu and Anko looked at each other and then looked at Iruka. 

Kotetsu said. "Yes, you can. Nobody cares when you're in a band, Iruka. It's like - like - "

"Artistic license," Izumo said.

Anko said, "We all know, and it's cool. You can sing about it and it'll be cool."

"Thanks. I think." Iruka looked at his friends' hopeful faces and blushed a little, grateful. "But - but I still don't know if I want to sing -" 

Anko pulled out the scribbled-over song sheet. "Here."

Iruka's eyes popped at the new notes over his original words. "What the hell is this, Anko?"

She gave a little shoulder lift. "I made a couple of small changes, a line here, a verse there. I just added the percussion to it. Handclaps, that stuff. It'll be simple. I was thinking about you and a certain guy and I think that you should sing it. "

"Cripes," Iruka said, looking at Kotetsu and Izumo, both of whom gave him a thumbs-up. 

Kotetsu nodded. "You're cool."

Izumo said, "We think it's a good song."

Iruka quickly scanned the sheet of paper. "What about the music?"

Anko gave little shrug. "I do rhythm. You guys can figure out the rest."

Kotetsu and Izumo gave sheepish grins. "We're real bad at making stuff up."

"Looks like it's up to you, buddy," Anko said, giving Iruka a quick jab in the side.

Iruka turned back to the words, beginning to hum and mutter. He pulled a pencil out of his pocket and began making notes. He was so involved in his work that he hadn't noticed the dark sedan had returned after circling the block, parking right in front of Iruka's house. A tall, thin figure with silver hair got out of the driver's side. 

"Hey," Iruka tried out the revised lyrics, warming up, "Mr Love Mr Big Love Big Love --"

"Hey - "

Iruka's head snapped back so fast it was a wonder he didn't get whiplash. His eyes widened. His voice, regrettably, squeaked. "Kakashi?"

"Yo." Mis-matched eyes turned up, just a little bit, in the corners. "Nice song."

"A-Anko wrote that!" Iruka stuttered. "It - "

"Iruka really wrote the song. It was his idea." Anko smirked. 

"Wait - I - it's not ready. Maybe it won't be for a long time." Iruka shot an irritated look at Anko. "Maybe not ever."

Anko grinned, cheerfully. "Maybe not. Hey, who wants to check out my new foot pedal back at my house?"

"I do!" Izumo jumped up.

"Foot pedal?" scowled Kotetsu. "What do I want to look at that for?"

"Because I'll shove it up your ass if you don't come," hissed Anko. She and Izumo grabbed him by his sleeve.

Kotetsu paled. "Well, okay, then." 

She pulled Kotetsu along. Izumo followed, giving Iruka a funny little look on the way. Iruka fought the urge to run a finger across his own throat, signaling how dead they all were to him just then.

And just like that, Iruka found himself alone with Kakashi on his aunt's porch. "So."

Kakashi nodded, genially. "So."

Grasping for anything to say or do, Iruka cleared his throat. "Uh, do you want some lemonade?"

"Sure."

"My aunt made it," Iruka said. "I really like the way she makes it."

"Thanks," Kakashi said, moving to stand next to Iruka. 

"That song that Anko was talking about," Iruka babbled as he mindlessly shifted the plastic cups and pitcher around on the small folding table. "She's rewritten it and Izumo and Kotetsu don't know how to compose - I mean, I'm not great at writing music, but I'm better than they are. They don't know anything about composing - they're pretty good musicians, but they're strictly players. Not to say I'm a genius or anything - but - "

"Let's have a look - " Kakashi said, leaning towards Iruka. Kakashi smelled great; just clean and masculine. Iruka could hardly catch his breath. On the other hand, Kakashi didn't seem to have any trouble humming his way through the song. It was astonishing how quickly Kakashi caught up with the melody, and began improvising, bobbing his head to the rhythm.

Iruka was mesmerized by the idea of Kakashi humming _his_ song when Kakashi looked up and locked eyes with him. "Do you want to sing it?"

Iruka thought he wasn't up to wheezing for goodness' sakes, but he began, his eyes jumping to the point where Kakashi had left off.

_"Hey Mr. Love, Mr. Big Love, Big Love_  
I've got a little secret too, I've got a mad little crush on you  
I wonder if you notice, wonder if you see -" 

Kakashi closed the little bit of distance between the two of them and swiftly moved to press his mouth, rather chastely, against Iruka's endlessly flapping lips. Iruka's brain screeched to a stop and then began to simply screech that _he was being kissed! BY! KAKASHI! HATAKE!! …!!!!_. Kakashi then stepped back and poured himself a cup of lemonade. 

"Wha-what did you do that for?"

"It seemed like there was a lot of tension," Kakashi said. 

"I wasn't tense. Did you think I was tense? Did I do something tense? I didn't feel tense - I don't feel tense now - "

Kakashi stepped forward and kissed Iruka again, just on the corner of his mouth. Kakashi's lips were shut, but soft. Iruka shut up like a light being switched off. He just stared up at Kakashi with wide, limpid, brown eyes. "Huh," Kakashi said. "Maybe it was just me." He took a sip. "Good lemonade."

The door opened and Aunt Mai stepped out. Iruka blinked. In the time it took for him to realize that Aunt Mai was at the door to her actually opening the door, Kakashi was safely half-way across the porch.

"Hello," Aunt Mai greeted. "You a new member of the band?"

Kakashi said, "No. Just checking them out." He extended his hand, like a grown-up. "Kakashi Hatake."

Aunt Mai took his hand. "You Sakumo's boy?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Iruka was still dazed from his first ever-kisses, but tried to not let Aunt Mai have her usual frontal attack manner of conversing. "Aunt Mai, he's in band in school with me."

A funny smile crossed her thin lips. "Very nice, Kakashi. Sakumo certainly raised you with his manners."

"Thank you, ma'am."

"Manners aren't everything. You tell him he's not getting Mai Umino's vote for school board president until he promises to restore funding to comprehensive sex and gender education to the school." She gave Kakashi a speaking glance. "Especially homosexual awareness."

Iruka's mouth dropped open. "Aunt Mai!"

"I will," Kakashi promised.

"Good boy," Mai said, nodding. "Now, I'm going to go inside for 30 seconds, exactly, which should allow you to say goodbye to Iruka without getting too handsy."

"Aunt Mai!" Iruka felt his face flush as she exited the porch. "Oh, my god, I'm so sorry. My aunt is just really outspoken, and she really feels things strongly, which you might say is a family failing and what am I saying -" 

His mouth was stopped by Kakashi's own warm lips. "We don't have a lot of time. You've got to learn use it better than that," Kakashi whispered. "Bye."

"Bye," Iruka managed as Kakashi hurried down the porch steps. He leaned against the pillar, breathing hard, staring down at the car.

"So, who was that boy?" Aunt Mai asked, stepping back through the door.

"Kakashi's not a boy, he's a third-year." 

"Must be some boy," she said, looking at the back of the dark sedan. "It looks like he hit you with a two-by-four."

Iruka laughed, weakly. He had no idea how to tell her. He had no idea how to process the information himself. He had just been kissed. By Kakashi Hatake. Three times. On purpose. His first real kiss - kisses. 

"I think he might like you too."

"Uh," Iruka was suddenly desperately afraid of what his aunt might say or think. "Why would you say that?"

Aunt Mai's brown eyes, so like Iruka's and his father's, twinkled. "He had no trouble getting here, but he's clashed his gears a couple of times already trying to get out of park."

* * *

That Monday morning, Iruka arrived at school super early. Kakashi wasn't there, but neither was any of the suspicious characters he was worried about. But Anko certainly was and demanded to know what happened after she and the other boys had left.

"But what does it mean?" Anko asked.

Iruka gave a funny little shrug.

"And there was no tongue?"

"Anko, why you gotta be like that?" Iruka burst out.

"I'm just trying to clarify facts for you."

"It was just a kiss," Iruka stated, knowing it wasn't just a kiss to him.

"It's not just a kiss."

"What do you mean?"

"We can ascertain a couple of things."

"Like - "

"Like," Anko held up a finger, "point one. He likes you. Point two. He liked kissing you enough to kiss you twice."

"Three times," Iruka corrected. "Anyway, I think it was just to shut me up."

"Nobody does that for people they don't like," Anko said. "He could have just told you to shut up."

Iruka conceded the point. 

"He found out where you live. He was nice to your aunt, even after she said that stuff about the school board. He drank the lemonade. He _like_ likes you. Are you guys dating?"

"I don't know." Iruka fussed with the straps on his backpack, afraid to look at Anko and her dark eyes that saw everything.

Anko drummed her fingers on the tabletop. "What does it all mean? I told him -"

Iruka snapped his head up, eyes wide in sudden panic. "You told him? What exactly did you tell him?"

"Nothing! I would never tell him about how you've been crushing on him all year, doodling hearts all over your music and writing lyrics about his mysterious eyes."

"Anko!" Iruka felt his heart wither. Shit.

"I think he like likes you, too."

"God, Anko," Iruka protested, but in a way that indicated he was listening. He went back to playing with the straps of his backpack.

"I'm sorry, but watching the two of you fade away and not notice - it was really annoying, okay?"

"Sorry my crush isn't entertaining enough for you," he muttered.

* * *

When Iruka walked into the dark band hall Tuesday morning, he waved to Anko, who started heading in his direction. 

Some unusual shadows was lingering in the back of the corridor. Iruka halted. Something didn't feel right. He was in this part of the school every day, sometimes two or three times a day and something definitely felt wrong. From around the corner stepped a trio of large boys. One of whom he had seen before, having swung a trombone case at his head. The others, a pinch-faced redhead and a muscular guy with a block-shaped shaved head, he didn't know. The first nudged the other two into looking in Iruka's direction. "You!"

"Hey," Iruka began, one hand held up, the other holding tightly to his trombone.

The trio lumbered toward him. 

Backpedaling until his shoulder hit the wall, Iruka said, placatingly, "Now, I don't want any trouble."

The original thug said, "Oh, this won't be any trouble. For us." The redhead cracked his knuckles. Blockhead just smiled, revealing several missing teeth.

Iruka startled when he heard a familiar voice, speaking from behind him, "I know what you guys are doing and I don't appreciate that."

"What do you think we're doing, Hatake?" 

Iruka watched as the conversation went back and forth. 

"You're bothering a bunch of kids, all over the school. Stop being assholes," Kakashi said.

"Why should you care?"

"Because he's my boyfriend. And I don't like it when people aren't nice to my boyfriend."

Whoosh - the air left Iruka's lungs. It was, Iruka felt, like a movie.

Kakashi's voice turned chilly. "Don't do that again."

"You going to stop us?" The sneer was clear.

"If I have to." Kakashi's voice was measured, certain.

"Fa--" 

Iruka didn't hear the rest of it because Anko had suddenly jumped into the center of the group, yowling, her drumsticks viciously laying about her left and right. She smashed one on the head, another was whapped smartly across the face. Alarmed by the fury in their midst, the bullies scattered. 

"Ha!" she screamed after them. "I know your faces, buttholes! You so much as breathe wrong, I'll smash you into the dirt!"

Mildly, Kakashi said, "You know, you didn't have to say those things, Anko."

"Yeah," Anko said, proudly. "But I like to."

"And you, Iruka - " Kakashi said, turning a stern gaze on Iruka, who flinched a little at the intensity. "You don't have to get involved with everything, which is what started this," Kakashi said. "I've been hanging out here for days, waiting for those guys to show so I could reason with them - "

"And what were you going to do, Hatake?" Anko asked. "Talk to bullies in a soft voice? No - you have to give them as good as they might give you."

Kakashi said, "You don't think I can do that? If I had to?"

Anko frowned, looking over Kakashi. A grudging admiration crossed her face. "Maybe."

"You didn't - don't have to, Kakashi," Iruka said. He paused. "Days?"

"They seemed pretty persistent," Kakashi said. "I thought it was important to give them the message about you, so I waited and - uh - so, uh - "

"Yeah," Iruka smiled and looked down at the ground.

"Hn," Kakashi replied.

"Oh my god, you guys, you're killing me. Just say it!" Anko exclaimed, and then vanished into the band room.

"Anko, huh?" Iruka said, jerking his thumb in the direction she disappeared.

"Yeah." Kakashi seemed to find his feet suddenly really interesting as he jammed his hands into his pants pockets.

Anko's head popped out from behind the door of the band room. "It's his birthday today, you dummy!" she yelled. "Work with that!"

"Happy birthday?" Kakashi asked.

"Thanks. So, uh, why were you here this morning?"

"Because I was trying to protect you. You're one of my precious people," Kakashi said, flushing. "What do you think the kiss was for?"

"Uh, well, - "

"First, I thought you didn't like me -" Kakashi explained, peeking at Iruka out of the corner of his eye.

"Why wouldn't I like you?" Iruka asked, astonished.

"Because I'm a huge nerd and I can't talk to anybody about anything but school and music. You never said hi. You didn't even ever look at me. It was only when Anko told me last week - "

"ANKO!" Iruka yelled.

"It's not about me!" returned Anko, sticking her head out of the door. "Focus on the goal ahead of you! I think you were talking about how much you like him!"

"What did you tell him?" Iruka asked, about to turn on his best friend.

"I think she told me that I should get my butt in gear before the school year ended. If I was any kind of genius I would have noticed you in September, which I did but - "

"Kakashi!" Anko called, looking exasperated. "Stop being a dummy!"

"Anyway, she told me to talk to you. So, uh, I guess she's right? You do like me?" Kakashi asked, trying and failing to not sound eager.

"Who wouldn't like you? You're hot and smart and so fricking awesome!" Iruka said, astonished it was even a question.

"Oh, thanks." Kakashi said, shyly. "I want you to know that I don't kiss just anybody. It's special."

"It was really special to me," Iruka said. "Anyway, I don't care who else you've kissed. You just kiss me, from now on."

Kakashi smiled. "I can do that. From here on out, I will only kiss cute boys who play second trombone."

"I might be first trombone after that Inuzuka kid graduates."

"Someone ever tell you that you joke around too much?" Kakashi asked, leaning in toward Iruka, his voice amused.

"Nope," Iruka returned, smiling. "I would say I don't joke enough - "

"Oh my god - " Anko said, only to be cut off when Kakashi walked over to the band door.

"- what are you doing?" Iruka asked, astonished.

Kakashi pulled a key out of his pocket. "Perks of being a third-year first seat." He looked at Anko and smiled. "Thanks, Anko," Kakashi said, "but I think Iruka and I can handle this ourselves." He shut the door firmly in Anko's face and turned the lock. 

Muffled behind the soundproofed door, Iruka could barely hear Anko's screaming protests. Something about "you better be ready to tell me exactly what happened, Iruka Umino!"

"What about getting her out?" Iruka worried.

"Soon."

"Oh, she's going to be mad - "

"Shut up already," Kakashi said, and pressed his lips against Iruka's delighted smile. 

fin

**Author's Note:**

> Remember to leave a comment below, or at the [LJ post](http://kakairu-fest.livejournal.com/121816.html?mode=reply#add_comment)!


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